“We have planned to clean up around 100,000 houses and kill all the mosquito larvae in those places,” said Ram KC, vector control of the health office.
The health office has deployed dozens of volunteers to carry out the campaign. [break]
“Mosquito larvae were swimming in the stagnant water around a motor garage near Bharatpur Bus Park. The volunteers immediately cleaned it up,” said Devkumari Shrestha, one of the volunteers.
“While some locals were very much cooperative some others were indifferent. It is due to the lack of awareness,” added Sujata Shrestha, another volunteer.
The duo destroyed mosquito larvae in around 144 houses by Thursday noon.
Similarly, Bharatpur municipality staff cleaned up a school area used as a dumping site by the locals.
According to the Chief of the District Health Office Kedar Singh Godar, 67 people have already tested positive for dengue virus in the last 10 months. “Around 250 volunteers and 50 health personnel have been deployed for the campaign. We cannot undermine the risk as it is a communicable disease,” he said.
Dengue was first reported in Africa in 1990. It entered Nepal in 2004.
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